Avalanche Hosts Sharks in Game 3 on Tuesday

After splitting the first two games of its second round series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Colorado Avalanche returns to Denver to play the San Jose Sharks at Pepsi Center on Tuesday in Game 3 of the best-of-seven series.
The teams meet again in Colorado on Thursday before heading back to San Jose to play Game 5 on Saturday.

Last Time Out

Four different Avalanche players found the back of the net as the team beat the Sharks 4-3 in Game 2 at SAP Center on Sunday. Tyson Barrie (one goal, two assists), Matt Calvert (two assists), Gabriel Landeskog (one goal, one assist) and Nathan MacKinnon (one goal, one assist) all posted multi-point performances. Matt Nieto scored his third goal of the playoffs in the third period, his first non-short-handed marker of the postseason. Goaltender Philipp Grubauer turned aside 31-of-34 shots and registered an assist in the outing.
The Sharks received two goals and three points from defenseman Brent Burns, while Evander Kane registered a goal and an assist. Netminder Martin Jones made 28 saves in the loss.

What To Watch

Pepsi Can-Do Attitude
The Avs have won both games played at Pepsi Center so far in the postseason after posting a 21-14-6 record at home during the regular season. The Avalanche has won eight straight contests at home (since March 17) and is 13-2-1 in its last 16 outings in its own barn dating back to Feb. 18. Colorado, the Carolina Hurricanes (3-0) and Columbus Blue Jackets (2-0) are the only teams without a home loss so far during the 2019 postseason.
20-20 Vision
Rookie defenseman Cale Makar, 20, was placed on a defensive pairing with fellow 20-year-old Samuel Girard in the most recent outing, and the duo combined for five shots on goal and nine total shot attempts. Makar, who made his NHL debut in Game 3 of the first round, has put up three points (one goal, two assists) through five contests. Girard missed the final three contests of Round 1 against the Calgary Flames with an upper-body injury but has suited up in both games against the Sharks. With the addition of Makar, the average age of the Avs is 26.7 years old.

Players To Watch

Colorado: Defenseman Tyson Barrie

The defenseman has generated eight points (one goal, seven assists) in seven postseason contests thus far, which is third among all Colorado skaters and doubles his previous career high for points in the playoffs (four points in 2017-18). Barrie has recorded 27 shots on goal during the postseason and has averaged a team-high 24:42 of ice time.
San Jose: Center Tomas Hertl
Hertl racked up two assists in Sunday's tilt against the Avs and is now tied for second on the Sharks in postseason scoring with 10 points (six goals, four assists) in nine games. The center has produced 37 points (20 goals, 17 assists) in 52 career playoff contests and has generated 12 power-play points (six goals, six assists) over that span. During the regular season, Hertl put up 74 points (35 goals, 39 assists) and finished second on the Sharks in scoring.

The Details

Game 3 of the second-round series between the Avalanche and Sharks is slated for 8 p.m. MT. The game can be watched nationally in the United States on NBCSN, viewed online at NBCSports.com or streamed on select devices with the NBC Sports App. The contest will be televised throughout Canada on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports. The radio broadcast can be heard locally on Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM or online at ColoradoAvalanche.com.
Tune in to Altitude TV before and after Game 3 for complete coverage of the Avs.
Avalanche Face-off starts at 7:30 p.m. and the Avalanche Locker Room Report begins immediately following the conclusion of the contest.
The Avalanche will once again hold a playoff tailgate party outside of Pepsi Center at the Camry South Parking Lot before and during the game.
The tailgate begins three hours prior to puck drop and includes a live band, DJ, food trucks, t-shirt giveaways, appearances by alumni and more. Fans without a ticket to Game 3 can watch the action on a giant television screen at the tailgate as well.